Calender apparatus



5. 1959 y K. ZIMMERLI A 2,900,747

CALENDER APPARATUS Filed Nov. 17, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 r 1N VENTORA I fla Zmg/ Y 7 /411! 7 g- 25, 1959 K. ZIMMERLI 2,900,747

CALENDER APPARATUS Filed Nov. 17, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a I 50X g? INVENTOR.

United CALENDER APPARATUS Kurt Zimmerli, Chicopee, Mass., assignor to B. F. Perkins & Son, Inc., Chicopee, Mass, a corporation Application November 17, 1958, Serial No. 774,198

2 Claims. (Cl. 38-52) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in calenders and is directed more particularly to a novel drive means for the rolls thereof.

The principal object of the invention is directed to the provision of means for independently driving the rolls of a pair thereof when in disengagement.

It is frequently desired and necessary in calendering operations to separate a pair of coacting rolls for various purposes for short intervals of time. As an instance, certain materials may be seamed or spliced, and it is the practice to separate the rolls so that the seam or splice will not be subjected to the pressure of the rolls in their coacting relation.

In calenders, it is common practice to drive one roll thereof from the other, but following separation of the rolls, and when they are subsequently engaged, serious scufing of the web material may occur due to the different speeds of the rolls.

It has been attempted to overcome this speed differential of the rolls as they are engaged subsequent to separation, as by gearing, chain drives and the like.

Such have not been entirely satisfactory due to lost motion and the like which has resulted in shocks and scufling of the web material when the rolls are engaged. Furthermore, such mechanism has been cumbersome and complicated, has required considerable maintenance, and has been costly to produce.

According to the novel features of this invention, means is provided for rotating the driven roll while disengaged from the driving roll, and at a surface speed only sligthly less than that of the driving roll so that, when the rolls are reengaged, the speed of the driven roll instantaneously assumes that of the driving roll.

According to special features of the invention an overrunning clutch mechanism is provided between a se arate drive for the driven roll and said roll which drives the roll while disengaged from the drive roll. As the rolls subsequently engage, the driven roll is then driven by the driving roll at the slightly faster speed to overrun the drive mechanism for the driven roll.

According to a further feature of the invention, the driven roll is connected through the clutch mechanism to a motor drive mechanism which is independent of the drive means for the driving roll.

The drive roll may be connected to a drive motor, so that, with a separate motor for the driven roll, said motors may be controlled to attain a predetermined speed of the driving roll and a slightly less speed of the driven roll, thereby to attain the desired speed relationship with accuracy.

The drive motor for the driven roll is carried directly by the mounting means for the driven roll, and thereby gearing, chains and the like, and their inherent disadvantages or objections, are obviated.

The novel features of the invention may be used with calenders of various types adapted for various calendering operations, and are not limited to the particular form of calender herein shown and described.

Various changes and modifications may be made in the form of the apparatus without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which is shown in the presently preferred form in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figs. 1 and 2 are side and front elevational views respectively of calender apparatus embodying the novel features of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan View on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the driven end of the shaft of the driven roll and showing the clutch mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a vertical view on the line 55 of Fig. 4, and

Fig 6 is a small scale side elevational view of the calender apparatus showing the drive for the drive roll associated therewith.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the novel features of the invention will be described.

A pair of side frames 2 is provided which, in the usual situation, are secured on foundations, and held in transversely spaced relation by transverse members (not shown) secured thereto. The side frames may take various forms.

An upper drive roll is represented by 4, and has opposite end journal portions 6, which are rotatable in bearing housings 8 of the side frames, as is usual.

A ,drive motor 10 has a drive sprocket 12 which is connected by chain means 12 to the sprocket 14 of a journal portion 6 of the drive roll, see Fig. 6. Any other form of drive means which will rotate the drive roll continuously during operation of the calender, and at a desired predeterminedspeed may be employed.

The side frames 2 are formed with vertical columns 16, on each of which mounting means 18 is slidable up and down. The means 18 is held in sliding engagement on its respective column 16 by a gib member 22 secured thereto which engages a rear side of the respective column 16.

A driven roll 20 has opposite end portions 20' rotatable in each mounting means 18.

Each mounting means 18 may be elevated to engage the driven roll 20 journalled therein with the drive roll 4 by any suitable means. For purposes of disclosure however, there is shown a cylinder 24, see Fig. 1, in which a plunger 26 is reciprocable.

Pressure at an inlet 28 of the cylinder acts on the plunger which in turn acts so as to elevate the mounting 18. The cylinder may be supported by a forward portion 30 of the side frame. There will of course be a cylinder for each mounting 18, and air or hydraulic pressure may be controlled to said cylinders for up and down movements of the mountings to engage or separate the rolls. Any other suitable means desired may be provided for acting on the mountings.

Bearing means 32 is provided in each mounting 18 in which the journal or shaft ends 20 of roll 20 are rotatable, see'Fig. 3. Any suitable bearing means may be employed.

A housing 34 is secured to one of the mountings 18 by suitable means such as screws 36 or the like. An electric motor 38 is associated with a housing 40 which is suitably secured to the aforesaid housing 34.

Said motor 38 will preferably be gear connected to a drive shaft 42 which is axially aligned with the end shaft 20' of roll 20. Said motor and gearing may take any form desired for the practice of the invention.

Clutch mechanism 44 is provided to connect the shaft 42 of the motor mechanism with the end 20' of the shaft of roll 20.

Said clutch mechanism 44, as shown, is of the type known as a cam clutch and includes'an inner race 46 secured to shaft 42, as by a key 48, and an outer race 50 which is secured by a key 52in a ring 54, disposed in an end of roll shaft portion 20". Said ring is secured in the shaft portion 20' by one or more screws, such as 56.

There are many well known types of over-running clutches available for the practice of the invention.

As shown a plurality of elongated cam or wedge members 60 are arranged circumferentially between the inner and outer races 46 and 50 respectively, as in Fig. 5.

In the operation of the apparatus, with reference to Fig. 5, the shaft 42 of the motor drive mechanism is in rotation with the driven roll separated from the drive roll. The outer race 50 is rotated through the cam members so that the driven roll 20 is rotated.

When the driven and drive rolls are brought into engagement, the speed of the driving roll is slightly in excess of that of the driven 'roll, so that the drive roll through the clutch mechanism overruns the driven roll so as to drive said driven roll.

The drive roll is continuously driven at a predetermined speed. The motor mechanism for the driven roll is arranged to drive the driven roll continuously at a predetermined speed when the rolls are disengaged. The speed of the driven roll will be slightly less than that of drive roll, say one or two revolutions per minute less.

It is desired that, when the driven roll is engaged with the drive roll, the relative speeds of the rolls will be such that scutfing of the material being calendered is obviated, and the speed of the driven roll will instantaneously attain that of the drive roll.

Current to the drive roll drive and to the driven roll drive may be controlled in the usual manner to establish the desired relative speeds.

Various changes and modifications may be made in the form of the apparatus without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is therefore desired to be limited, if at all, by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description.

I claim:

1. Calender apparatus comprising in combination, transversely spaced side frames, a drive roll between said side frames and means supporting opposite ends of said roll in said frames for rotation of the roll on a fixed axis, first driving means for continuously rotating said drive roll, mounting means slidable in each said side frame, a driven roll between'and having opposite end portions journalled in said mounting means for rotation of said roll, said mounting means being slidable in said side frames towards said supporting means for operative coaction of said drive and driven rolls on material therebetween and rotation of the latter by the former and away from said supporting means to inoperative relation and non-coaction of said rolls where they are separated and said driven roll is rotatable independently of said drive roll, second independent driving means carried by one said mounting means including a continuously operable electric motor and operative connections between said motor and the end portion of the driven roll journalled in said one mounting means whereby the driven roll may be rotated at a speed slightly less than the speed at which the drive roll is rotated, and means for movement of each said mounting means towards and away from said supporting means.

2. Calender apparatus set forth in claim 1' wherein said operative connections includes over-running clutchj means whereby in operative coacting relation of said drive and driven rolls the speed of the latter may be increased by the former over the speed of the latter as imparted to it by said second driving means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,535,660 France Apr. 28, 1925 1,637,282 Schlatter July 26, 1927 2,739,397 Rose Mar. 27, 1956 2,865,118 Stewart Dec. 23, 1958 

